Missouri Takes Stand Against Federal Gun Control

The Missouri State House of Representatives is working on a bill that would virtually nullify any past, present or future gun control laws handed down by the feds.

House Bill 1439 reads in part, “All federal acts, laws, executive orders, administrative orders, court orders, rules, and regulations, whether past, present, or future, which infringe on the people’s right to keep and bear arms as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution and Article I, Section 23 of the Missouri Constitution shall be invalid in this state, shall not be recognized by this state, shall be specifically rejected by this state, and shall be considered null and void and of no effect in this state.”

The bill was introduced by Rep. Funderburk (R-103) and has already picked up a whopping 33 co-sponsors.

HB1439 serves as the companion bill to SB 613. Sen. Brian Nieves introduced the Senate version earlier this month.

A similar bill passed both Missouri houses by a large margin earlier this year, but after a veto by Governor Jay Nixon, an override effort failed by one vote.

HB1439 goes on to state that “the general assembly hereby occupies and preempts the entire field of legislation touching in any way firearms, components, ammunition and supplies to the complete exclusion of any order, ordinance or regulation by any political subdivision of this state. Any existing or future orders, ordinances or regulations in this field are hereby and shall be null and void.”

The legislation bans all state employees from enforcing any federal acts which run counter to the state law. By ordering a complete stand-down on all federal gun control measures, enforcement falls back to the federal government. This is exactly what James Madison advised states to do in Federalist #46. He called it “a refusal to cooperate with officers of the Union.”